


Rose-Colored Girl

by theneonpineapple



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Doubt, F/F, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 16:46:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17625929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theneonpineapple/pseuds/theneonpineapple
Summary: Aubrey and Dani's talk about the abominations, from Dani's POV.





	Rose-Colored Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to produce some f/f content for Femslash February

Dr. Harris Bonkers snuffled in Dani's ear and she reached up to stroke him, taking a moment to compose herself before she stepped forward to stand beside Aubrey, looking down at the sinkhole in Kepler.

She said, "The, um… The abominations, they’re… they’re getting stronger, aren’t they?" _We're losing, aren't we?_

"Yeah, this one was—this one was different."

Dani nodded to herself. She couldn't stop thinking about the call on the phone in the lobby, the news that Ned was in the hospital, that Aubrey was collapsed, that a sign had fallen on Duck –

"Hey," said Aubrey, and Dani almost wished she wasn't so easy for Aubrey to read. _Almost_. "But—but I mean, look at it this way. We're getting stronger too."

 _You could've died_. She'd jumped out of a moving car and it wasn't the most dangerous thing she'd done, or would do. Dani wanted to grab her and shake her, beg her to stop being so optimistic when anyone could see they were fighting a losing battle. Sylvain was dying, Kepler was dying, the abominations were getting stronger.

"I mean, like, I’m getting better at magic, and like, Duck actually chose to kill something, um… And like, Ned is at least 5% less of a coward, so like… eh?" She jerked her head towards Dani, grinning encouragingly, and Dani just looked at her own face in the mirrored flats of her sunglasses and forced the reflection there to smile, at least a bit.

She reached for Aubrey's hand, and found it warm and waiting for her, palm-up. Dr. Harris Bonkers hopped across to nose at Aubrey, and Dani looked away from the mess of destruction down below in Kepler to see Aubrey's smile as she greeted him with a soft, "Hey, buddy."

Aubrey stilled suddenly beside her as white flakes began to fall, but then let out a breathless laugh of relief when it was snow, just snow, it wasn't happening again.

Dani did smile, properly, then, too relieved herself to be so scared for the moment, and she clutched at Aubrey's hand like a lifeline while Aubrey tilted her head back to try and catch a few flakes on her tongue, and there were little clumps of white gathering in her hair, clinging to the colorful strands. Ice and fire.

It twisted in Dani's chest. The world was falling apart but they had this and Dani wanted to bottle the moment and _keep_ it, because it was better than the hotsprings out back. She wished Aubrey would take off the sunglasses. She thought she'd look fetching, with her eyelashes catching snowflakes. She thought maybe if she could just stop looking at the distorted reflection of herself in the lenses, she might be able to work up the nerve to brush away the dampness where snow melted on Aubrey's flushed cheeks and close the distance between them – Dr. Harris Bonkers could share a little of Aubrey's personal space with Dani, surely.

But before she could suggest Aubrey take them off, or reach up and gently pull them away herself, a hand appeared on Aubrey's shoulder, and she twisted away to look.

Mama's expression was serious. Seamless from months of practice, Dani stepped in to take Dr. Harris Bonkers so Aubrey could go with her.

She tucked the rabbit close to her, to keep him from the snow's chill, and stood among the crowd of other Lodge residents looking back again at Kepler below. It felt like the cusp of soemthing more than a mountain – and she felt suddenly, wholly alone.

_When did you start needing her to save you?_

Falling in love with a member of the Pine Guard, a _mortal_ , didn't just spell heartache at Aubrey's inevitable premature and violent death. It was going to unmake her, tether her to someone who would be both lover and savior.

Dani stroked Dr. Harris Bonkers's ears.

**Author's Note:**

> it's all angst all the time rn lads
> 
> @keplersheetz


End file.
